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Tri-Area Community Health Center Open House Celebrates Community

6/24/2010

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – June 24, 2010 – The word “community” seemed to wind its way into every conversation that afternoon: community effort, Tri-Area Community Health Center, community commitment, Virginia Community Healthcare Association, community spirit, Virginia Community Capital. The uninitiated might easily have imagined some strange conspiracy was afoot. Or perhaps the ceremonial tent had an echo.

New Tri-Area Health Center building

The dedication ceremony for the Tri-Area Community Health Center in Floyd on Sunday, June 13 officially celebrated the opening of a new clinic serving residents of this Southwest Virginia town and its surrounding area. The event marked the culmination of years of planning for a facility of this type. And while a 2007 federal designation opened up funding resources for Floyd County, the collective energy of a regional community health center consortium, the state-based association, and a grassroots commitment moved the project from dream to tangible, solid, and fully operational.

The day’s presenters all agreed: the team approach constructed an essential foundation for this structure long before any concrete was ever poured. Debra Shelor, Tri-Area Community Health Center’s Executive Director, provided the welcome and a moving history of the process that involved numerous players. Key among these included the Virginia Community Healthcare Association whose CEO, R. Neal Graham, a Floyd native, also spoke. Tri-Area Board members Jim Kieley, Mary Dashiell, and John McEnhill added perspective while architect Bob Rodgers offered congratulations and compliments to the contractor, G&H Contracting. Residents and staff enjoyed refreshments and a celebratory cake while touring the new center.

Tri-Area Community Healthcare Center lobby

The Floyd Community Health Center uses a sliding fee scale with discounts based on patient family size and income in accordance with federal poverty guidelines to ensure equal access. The 8,500-square-foot facility features eight examination rooms and one emergency examination area. Ambulances can pull up to a protected, dedicated entry. An in-house lab handles some tests for immediate results and a spacious waiting area features work by local artists. To date, the project has created 11 new jobs.

Virginia Community Capital (VCC) supplied New Markets Tax Credit funding for the project in partnership with US Bancorp. In 2008, VCC received a $15 million allocation of New Markets Tax Credits dedicated to bringing additional health care services to Medically Underserved Areas. Funds from this source are currently available for other health care centers in Virginia. Learn more by contacting Dawn DeHart at 540-260-3126, Ext. 112.